Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

The Gregg Game

I watched just two innings of last night's affair, tuning in as Micah Hoffpauir gave the Cubs the lead and turning it off right before Ryan Raburn's ball landed. The saying goes something like "a picture is worth a thousand words"...well here's my word quota for the night.

 

Not the way to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Sandberg Game.

Comments

in honor of the guy who ruined my night: Kevin Gregg is so bad (how bad is he?) He so bad that whenever he pitches his blows a ___blank____

I've had enough of that goggle-eyed sonofagregg. His curve looked like a beach ball and he kept going back to it until Rayburn jumped on it like a crow on a flattened squirrel.

I had just settled in for my Sandberg Game Day Turkey and the kids had just finished opening presents then Gregg came along and ruined it for all of us. Happy Sandberg Game Day indeed.

When you acquire the league leader in blown saves, he's going to.....blow some saves. When you acquire a RF with a history of injuries and stupidity, he.....well, he throws the ball into the stands with 2 outs. The fact that no runs scored on the play doesn't make the mental lapse any less idiotic. This year, Gregg even blew a 4-run lead -- while getting zero outs -- which is so bad the inventors of the Blown Save stat didn't consider it possible, and thus didn't include blowing a 4-run lead in the Blown Save category. Gregg is a good proxy for this team -- goes along pretty well for while, you think they could get on a roll, then....bam!

I don't think Gregg is the greatest closer, but he has been good lately. And it's not like Wood has been any better. He struggled to finally get his ninth save last night. Obviously, the pitching is not the primary reason why the team has struggled this year. To me, the biggest difference was evident in the first inning last night. Bases loaded, nobody out. Last year, Cubs get 3-4 runs in the inning; this year, they get one. With every game this year being low scoring and close, blown saves are bound to happen, no matter who you have in there.

Sheesh. I wonder what the Tiger fans are saying about Zumaya. Would have been nice had we pushed across an insurance run in the 9th. 1 run saves may not be in Gregg's Idiot's Guide to Closing. Luckily there will be another baseball game this evening.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Harry: "I know what you're thinking punk. You're thinking does Gregg suck as bad as we all think he does and he is just lucky. And to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is the Cubs, the most ridiculous baseball team in the world and will blow your head clean off with their excrement, you've got to ask yourself a question. Do I feel lucky? Well do you, punk?"

How about that Andres Blanco, though? Great defense and though he's not going to be super productive at the plate, he at least makes opposing pitchers work. I'll take it. And that slow chop 6-4-3 double play started by Theriot was awesome. The home run by Hoffpauir was awesome. It was truly an exciting game and good to see a big hit in the eighth inning. Blowing saves blows though. Really the biggest problem I had with Gregg's outing was walking the leadoff guy. Why give them the runner? Oh I know he didn't do it on purpose, but you can at least drop one down the middle. If HE hits a homer (which he wasn't going to do) it's only the tying run. Except for the Cubs losing it was a pretty good game to watch.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

Wasn't that an 8 or 9 pitch walk to the leadoff hitter? Seemed like a pretty good at bat. The things that pissed me off was the ensuing gopher ball, the meatball that Zambrano threw to Inge and (why is Inge OK with Firefox, but not Zambrano?) and the pitch right before the Polanco triple that the umpire didn't call for a strike. I am sure it was just my fandom, but I could have swore Zambrano got squeezed about 5 times that Jackson didn't.

Gregg reminds me of a scared high schooler in the first game of his freshman year. He glances around as if he is looking for his mom in the stands to give him that, 'It's OK honey - you can do it' smile. Then he throws (seemingly underhanded) to see how far the guy can hit it. This is turning out to be a crap season. No, we are not that far out of the hunt but shit fellas, do you ever feel secure with the way things are now? It's like looking in the refrigerator hoping that you will find something good to eat when you know that you still have only the same crusty ketchup bottle, half a jar of pickles and milk that will expire by tomorrow. Time to get some fucking groceries!

you still have only the same crusty ketchup bottle --- Rob seems to have found a good use to that Krusty Ketchup...pouring it over his Gregg pics. Is there a ketchup filter for photoshop?

The fact is, Gregg is not a closer. He's got middle reliever stuff and doesn't seem to have any kind of closer mentality. Just because he was the closer for the Marlins doesn't mean he gets to be a closer for the rest of his career. But, if keeping him in the closer role is our only shot at getting a draft pick out of him then so be it. If we're really honest with ourselves, this season isn't going anywhere. If Hendry can position the team at all for next season, I wouldn't be opposed to it. Trade Harden at the deadline, hopefully get a draft pick for Gregg, try like hell to shed any unnecessary salaries (Miles, Freel, Heilman), make 100% sure Aramis gets back to full strength, and hope the ownership situation gets resolved so we can find any kind of offense via FA. If I'm not mistaken, the oft-coveted Brian Roberts will be a FA this year. Since 2B is about the only position we could potentially upgrade, he seems like a pretty likely target.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

it's pretty much dead...the director Soderbergh made some script changes and the studio (Sony) didn't like them. Some rumors are that Brad Pitt didn't like the script changes and Sony is covering for him, but who knows...

It was about 4 days from shooting, they put it in turnaround, meaning other studios could basically buy it from Sony and make their own film but they all passed. Now either Soderbergh gives in, they find a new director or it dies and it doesn't sound they're all too interested in pushing forward to it.

Nice rolling slider, fuckhead! Did you hear him say that the pitch slipped out of his hand?? It's only the game, so make sure of your grip next time, juicebag!! Wow is he ridiculous! The way Marmol was pitching last night, I would have let him start the 9th and possibly get a 2-inning save... Go with the hot hand! My oh my do we suck at hitting with runners in scoring position! We had 11 baserunners against Vazquez in less than 7 innings, scored no runs, and went 0-6 with RISP. Last night we were 0-8 with RISP. It's like a broken record... we aren't getting nearly enough guys on base, and when we do get them into scoring position, we aren't getting them in. Aren't we due to blow somebody out real soon??? On another note, personally, I think it was dumb to sit Soriano and Bradley on Monday when you follow up with interleague games in AL parks, which you can use to rest guys. We had a nice 4-game winning streak going and were starting to build momentum, and I say keep putting your big guns out there until you lose... With how horrific we have played, I can't comprehend that we are only 3.5 games out of first. This division is ripe for the picking but we're too disjointed to take advantage. I don't have the time to watch games night in and night out like I used to with the new baby here, but I'm getting to the point where I couldn't bear to watch even if I did have time. I guess I'm towards the end of the pissed off phase and moving towards apathy/being resigned that we are good as we are going to be this season. Thanks for listening to my rant. I don't feel any better, but at least I won't explode now!!

4 IP, 4 K, 0 BB yesterday for Daytona... Starlin Castro is on fire, 5 game hitting streak, 3 hits his last 2 games and 4/4 with 4 RBI and an inside the park home run in the FSL All-Star game over the weekend.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Did you happen to catch the error count on Castro when you looked at the boxscore 8 (

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I just peruse the First Inning recap from the right sidebar, so in this case no. Sometimes they mention errors in the notes...sometimes they don't.

He's 19 and holding his own with the bat in the FSL after jumping from the Arizona Rookie League, that's pretty neat.  24 errors on the year so far not so neat. Wish they'd break it down between fielding and throwing errors, but oh well....

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Yeah, I just noticed that today as well. Lots of errors and he's not showing the power potential to move to second or third, but 19 in a 22 year old league and not striking out all the time certainly shows promise. A lot more errors than Furcal or Rollins had at the same level at approximately the same age. Maybe some of it is on the 1st basemen!

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Maybe that should have been a sign that he would continue to suck defensively at SS?

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

A guy Jeter's size who still fields SS passably at 35 is good enough for me. Jeter is surely no worse than Theriot.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Not really sure that you want to use Theriot as an example of anything defensively. Jeter is a very bad defensive SS. As in, one of, if not THE, worst defensive SS in baseball.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Theriot's been pretty good this year in my opinion, and about average with BP's measurement. Jeter had 56 errors in low A at age 19, and is 104 runs below average for his career. He hit about the same as Castro that year too (.295 .376 .394). Castro's playing in a pitcher's league though. I imagine based on the hype here that his defensive chops are supposed to be superior to Jeter's.

Chicago Cubs Signed: RHP Jesse Ginley (NDFA—St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC), RHP Joe Simokaitis, LHP Daley Cox (NDFA—Santa Fe (N.M.) JC) Draft picks signed: RHP Tim Clubb (29), RHP B.J. Dail (17), RHP Steve Grife (26), RHP Danny Keefe (14), RHP Corey Martin (27), RHP Jake Schmidt (41), RHP Robert Whitenack (8), LHP John Mincone (11), C Matt Williams (18), 1B Justin Bour (25), 1B Greg Rohan (21), 2B D.J. Fitzgerald (22), 3B Charles Thomas (10), OF Jeff Pruitt (23), OF Cody Shields (15) Released: RHP Cedric Redmond, RHP Steve Vento Recalled: 1B Jake Fox Reinstated from DL: RHP Justin Bristow, RHP Jay Jackson, C Mark Johnson http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=5065#more-5065

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Hard to believe he was hitting .194 on May 13th! WOW! Almost as hard to believe is that Soriano was hitting .280 on May 17th!! By the time Aram gets back from injury, maybe Soriano, Bradley, Fukudome and Soto will be on a roll again, and it will be like picking up 5 All-Stars at the trade deadline!! Yeah, right...

Did you hear him say that the pitch slipped out of his hand?? --- His hand was sore from all the clapping he did last weekend for DeRosa and Wood.

Speaking of the 25th Anniversary of the Sandberg game, here is a link to the highlights... http://ballhype.com/video/the_sandberg_game/ I know I enjoy watching this over and over again! Can you believe that closers like Sutter pitched 3 innings back in the day? What a novel concept!

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 11:42am.
If that's the same Simokaitis, he was a SS drafted in 2005 in the 10th round by the Cubs out of Nebraska. Even played in the AFL for the Cubs.

==================================

ROB G: It's the same Joe Simokaitis.

The Cubs traded Simokaitis to Seattle last year after they gave up on him ever developing as a hitter, and the Mariners thought so much of him that they immediately demoted him to the California League (Hi-A), before releasing him at the end of Spring Training 2009.

BTW, the now 26-year old Simokaitis (who had a rifle-arm at shortstop) had a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts in his first game last night for the AZL Cubs.

The Cubs actually knew a little bit about Simokaitis as a pitcher, because he was occasionally used as the "garbage" pitcher in blow-outs when he was a Cubs minor leaguer.

Why draft & sign pitchers when you can just sign position players who can't hit and turn them into pitchers? Waste not, want not...

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.